Transgender Golfer Hailey Davidson Returning To LPGA Qualifying School Amid Tour's Gender Policy Review
The LPGA Tour is set to review its current gender policy and implement any changes it sees fit by the start of the 2025 season, but until then, transgender golfer Hailey Davidson is eligible to try and qualify for a spot on the women's tour.
Davidson, who competed on multiple men's college golf teams, is among the 332 players signed up for LPGA Qualifying School set to begin later this week. This will be Davidson's third attempt at Q-School having not made it out of the first stage in both 2021 and 2022.
READ: Female Golfer Speaks Out After Losing To Trans Player In Qualifier: 'Not A Backup For Mediocre Male Athletes'
While multiple women's golf tours have banned transgender athletes (biological men) from competing on their circuits, the LPGA hasn't gone that direction. In fact, the last major change the LPGA made in regards to its gender policy came in 2010 when the tour voted to eliminate its requirement that players must be "female at birth." This change in policy came on the heels of a transgender woman filing a lawsuit against the LPGA.
Another policy change could be coming, but all signs point to the LPGA not wanting to make any until it's forced to do so, even if that change is based on common sense and simple biology.
LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan sent a memo to players on both the LPGA and Epson Tour that the tour is planning to conclude a review of its current policy by the end of 2024 and implement any updates to the policy before the 2025 season, according to Golfweek.
Hailey Davidson is set to compete in LPGA Tour qualifying school yet again. (OutKick/MattReigle)
This is similar to what J.D. Sterbale, the LPGA's director of public relations, told OutKick in May of this year.
"In consultation